Inflatable mattress



NOV- 26, 1957 J. G. sEvclK 2,814,053

INFLATABLE MATTRESS Filed Sept. 2, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 26, 1957 J. G. sl-:vclK 2,814,053

INFLATABLE MATTRESS Filed sept. 2,' 1954 2 Sheets-'Sheet 2 nited States Patent a INFLATABLE MATTRESS John G. Sevcik, Berwyn, Ill., assigner to Burton-Dixie Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application September 2, 1954, Serial No. 453,790 Y l 3 Claims. (Cl. 5348) The present invention relates to a mattress and more` particularly to anovel mattress construction having means -for iniiating said mattress to conform the upper reclining or sleeping surface to the contour desired to give maximum sleeping :comfort and to compensate for any sagging or unevenness developed in its upper or sleeping surface affecting the sleeping comfort of the occupant or occupants.

Although mattresses are originally constructed with their sleeping surface substantially liat or level, it is found that such surface may not properly conform to or adjust itself to the weight or bodily contour of the occupant of the bed. This is particularly true of an occupant who may have some physical condition Vor deformity that prevents such occupant from a restful and healthful sleep upon the present commercial mattress without altering its surface conformation.

It is also true that in many mattresses after they have been in use for a period of time the contour of the upper or sleeping surface may-sag or become depressed or compacted over certain areas. Such sagging or unevenness may arise from the weight of an occupant or occupants, the position assumed in sleeping, frequent sitting upon the edge of the bed and for other reasons, but, regardless of its cause, any failure of the mattress to return to its original or intended surface contour nec-v essarily detracts from the sleeping comfort and results in improper sleeping posture so essential to proper restful and healthful sleep.

It is, therefore, an important object of the presentinvention to provide a novel means andY manner of inflating a mattress whereby its upper reclining or sleeping surface is capable of being selectively `adjusted to assure `its `,occupant or occupants of optimurnsleeping comfort. lAnother important object of thepresent invention is the provision of a novel mattress assembly in which the surface contour .of the mattress may be readily and selectively alterednto conformV to `the ,bodily contour or 4vr/eightofthe occupantorloccupantspr to theg'ruequire- 'ments for bodily comfort and restful and healthful sleep of such occupant or occupants.

The invention further compresends the provision of a novel mattress construction having incorporated therein one or more inflatable sections capable of being readily inflated in any area where the upper reclining or sleeping surface of the mattress does not conform to or adjust itself to the bodily contour, weight or physical requirements of the occupant or occupants. Where the bed is occupied by two persons, either side of the mattress is separately inflated to thereby selectively compensate for the individual requirements of the occupants at the opposite sides of the mattress.

Another and important object of the present invention is to provide a novel inflatable envelope for mattresses, the envelope being longitudinally or transversely divided into multiple sections each capable of being separately inflated to permit selective adjustment of different areas of the mattress and to selectively compensate for any Ice Patented Nov. 24-6, 1957 portion of the mattress. ,A i t A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel mattress construction capable of compensating for any sagging or unevenness that may develop after a period of use and thereby greatly prolonging effective life and use of the mattress and assuring the occupant or occupants of a restful sleep and renewed vitality.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, eiciency, economy and ease of assembly and operation, and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and are inherently possessed thereby.

In the drawings :V

Figure 1 is a plan view of an innerspr'ing mattress incorporating therein the novel means for inating the mattress to-selectively adjust its upper reclining or sleeping surface and to compensate for any sag or unevenness that may develop. v t

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one corner of the novel mattress assembly, portions ofthe top and intermediate sections .or layers being broken away to more completely disclose the internal construction.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in vertical cross section taken transversely through the mattress assembly of Fig. l in a plane representedby the line 3-3 and viewed in the direction of the arrows. j

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a novel mattress assembly adapted for use on a double bed and in which the intlatable envelope is divided longitudinally for selective adjustment of each side of the mattress.

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of one of the inatable sections of the envelope when collapsed.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view, part in plan and part in v horizontal cross section, of another embodiment of the novel mattressA assembly in which the present invention is disclosed in a mattress of the type employing a core or body of natural or compounded synthetic rubber and provided with the novel inatable envelope divided longitudinally into` multiple sections adapted to be selectively adjusted to assure its occupant or occupants of optimum sleeping comfort.

Fig.7 is a view in vertical cross section taken transversely through the mattress assembly of Fig. 6, the view being taken `in a plane represented by the line 47--7 of Fig.-6 and viewedin the direction ofthe arrows.

t Fig.4 Sis a view in vertical crossv section taken transi versely through a further alternateV form of rubber mattress assembly in which the inflatable envelope is disposed `between upper and lower layers of compressible `rubber or rubber-like material, this envelope being preferably,I divided transversely rather than longitudinally as in @and 7- Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawings and to the novel embodiment selected to illustrate the present invention, in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, the novel innerspring mattress assembly therein disclosed comprises a mattress A including a plurality of rows of innerspring coils 10 with the outer or encompassing springs preferably connected or tied at their upper and lower convolutions or ends 11 to an encompassing substantiallyV rectangular wire frame 12 by a spiral border wire 13. The convolutions 11 at the opposite ends of the innerspring coils are shown abutting or embedded in a pad 14 of fibrous material, such as sisal, felt, hair, or the like (Fig. 3), over which may be provided a layer 15 of suitable fibrous material and a ticking 16 forming a covering for the mattress.

The present invention incorporates a novel inflatable envelope 17 which is shown in Fig. 3 as embodied between the layer 15 at the bottom and the pad 14. This envelope 17 is preferably formed as a unit that is divided into as v22 to provide multiple sections 23 as shown in Fig. 4

and particularly adapted for a mattress for a double i Each section 19 or V23 is provided with an air valve 24 which may be readily inated by any suitable pump ffor selective inflationeand adjustment of any section or portion of the mattress.

n The opposite ends of each of these sections are preferably pleated or folded at 25 to permit these ends to be expanded and thus permit selective expansion and contraction of the resilient or flexible ',envelope preferably constructed of natural or com-- pounded synthetic rubber.

In the embodiment of Figs. 6 and 7, in place of a mattress having an inner construction or body part containing'innerspring coils, the disclosed mattress C employs Yan inner construction of a relatively thick natural orcompounded rubber layer 26 provided with the usual recesses or spaced openings 27. Below the lower face of die rubber layer 26 is provided an inatable and expandable, resilient or flexible envelope or relatively at Abag 28 which is provided with a substantially centrally arranged and longitudinally extending division 21, and also preferably provided with transverse or laterally extending divisions 22 to provide multiple, separately invatable resilient sections 23 as in Fig. 4.

An alternate construction of mattress D is shown in Fig. 8, where the inner construction or body part com- .prises spaced-layers 29 and 31 of recessed rubber or rubber-like material divided by means of an intermediate inflatable, resilient envelope 32 that may be divided by transverse divisions 18 as-in Fig. 1 to provide multiple sections 19, or for a mattress suitable for a double bed the envelope may be divided longitudinally at 21 and furl ther divided laterally at 22 to provide multiple, separately inflatable sections 23 as in Fig. 4.

Both of Vthefmattresses shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8,

linV each of which the inner construction or body part is of compressible rubber or rubber-like resilient material, vare preferably covered with a suitable ticking or covering l' 33 to enclose-the mattress, except for the air valves 24 which remain exposed for ready attachment of an air pump to inate any section or sections of the inflatable `envelope to conform to the bodily requirements of the occupant or occupants or to compensate' for any sag dee' veloped in the upper or sleeping surface of the mattress.

The inflatable, sectional envelope is preferably incorporated in the mattress below the innerspring coils r(Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive), below-the single rubber layer or body part 26 (Figs. 6 and 7), or between the spaced -layers 29 and 31 (Fig. 8), but in each form the section of the envelope beneath a portion of the mattress that requires adjustment may be readily inflated and adjusted to conform to the bodily requirements, such as the body .means for selectively inilatlng each section for supporting `contour andweight Vof the occupant or occupants, or to compensate for any sag that has developed and thereby present a reclining or sleeping surface that effectively meets all requirements for sleeping comfort. Thus the occupant or occupants are assured of a healthful and restful sleep not obtainable with present commercial mattresses.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

l. In combination, a mattress having a compressible inner construction and a separate resilient inflatable envelope therebeneath of substantially the area of the inner construction disposed within the mattress and adapted to be inated, said envelope being divided longitudinally into separate inflatable sections, and means for selectively inilating each sectionto compensate for the physical requirements of the occupant or occupants, the opposite ends of said inatable sections being pleated to facilitate selective expansion and contraction of the inatable sections uniformly over their entire area.

2. Inucombination, `a mattress having a compressible Yinnerspring construction supporting one or more occupants, anda resilient ivnatable partembodied in the con- -ines of the mattress beneath the innerspring constructionvand divided into lmultiple inflatable sections, and

the body of the occupant or occupants in position for optimum sleeping comfort and for compensating for any lsagging that may occur in any portion of the mattress; r`the ends of said sections provided with folds which permit saidwsections Ytorbe yuniformly expanded and contracted over their entire area.

v3. In combination, a mattress having a compressible n innerspring construction vsubjected to the weight and body Vcontourof one or more occupants and to sagging after a period of use, one or more layers of fibrous rna`l lterial aboveandbelow the innersprings and against which the end convolutions of the springs abut, and a resilient p inflatableenvelopc beneath said innerspring construction and within the mattress of substantially the area of the innerspring construction, and means for dividing said envelope into separate inflatable sections each adapted to be selectively inflated to adjust the mattress to the I physical requirementsof the occupants and to compensate when sag occurs in any area of the mattress.

lReferences Citedl in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,733,034 Tufenkjian Oct. 22, 1929 1,772,310 f Hart Aug. 5, 1930 2,345,421 Perry Mar. 28, 1944 2,434,641 Burns Jan. 20, 1948 '2,672,183 Forsyth Mar. 16, 1954 .2,748,399 Rockoi June 5, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 164,077 -Austria Sept. 26, 1949 305.911 Great Britain Feb. 14, 1929 

